Happy Soup Season!

repatriateme

4 years ago

This week the colours in the forest are breathtaking, they almost make up for the dark mornings and evenings, it is the really rich reds, oranges and golds that are only there for a short time just before the leaves fall.

Nature’s colours are also inspiring for the kitchen, as you find the wonderful autumn colours on the fruit and veg stands. Pumpkins of all shapes and sizes, the first clementines, carrots, parsnips, swedes, turnips… not to mention the delicious local apples and pears.

But winter is not quite upon us, so even though I have a couple of soup ideas & recipes for you, I also have some crunchy salad ideas to go with them. That stops me reaching for the bread to go with my soup, which if you add salty butter to the mix, ends up being soup to go with the crunchy bread!

Remember to make a big batch of soup; once cooled, pour individual portion sizes into freezer bags and freeze for up to 3 months. Either defrost in the fridge and reheat in a pan or add a splash of stock to a pan and melt the soup over a very low heat from frozen.

Put the curry powder into a large pan and toast over a medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the olive oil, stirring well. Tip in the onions, apple, garlic, coriander stalks and ginger, season and cook on low heat for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile peel and grate the sweet potatoes. Add to the pan with the lentils, milk and seasoning, then simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.

Blend until smooth, stir in the lime juice, check the seasoning and serve with a sprinkle of coriander leaves, and crunchy cauliflower and apple salad with walnut vinaigrette.